1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a reusable therapeutic device which may be used for cooling or heating and features a flexible bag which may be heated or cooled and then applied to a body part for thermal application with an inner element that enhances the thermal effects.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,358 issued Jun. 3, 1986 to Westplate provides a useful review of the patent literature in this art.
Despite the numerous advances that have been made in this art, people who need to apply heat or cold to the body for prolonged periods of time still find deficiencies in the available devices, because they don't provide relatively uniform temperature for relatively long periods of time, with the exception of the electric heating pads. When heat or cold is to be applied to the body surface, the temperature must not be so hot or cold as to be injurious or uncomfortable, while the total thermal capacity must be great enough to be therapeutically effective for a prolonged period of time.